MIAMI — The grieving dad of a hiker who was mauled to loss of life by an alligator in a river in Florida has slammed wildlife authorities for not doing extra to regulate the beasts and warn of the risks.
Building employee Brittany Clark, 31, was killed throughout a visit along with her boyfriend, Probability Allison, and roommate, Jayden Hernandez, on Sunday as they went for a swim within the Econlockhatchee River at Little Massive Econ State Forest.
Officers have stated Allison desperately tried to wrench Clark from the 13-foot reptile’s jaws because it ripped her arms aside.
Brittany’s father, Robert Clark, advised The Publish that the household was already coping with the loss of life of his mom, Barbara, in California, on Thursday final week, when the vicious reptile assault took his daughter too.
He stated that Clark and Allison had been planning to start out a household collectively, and she or he was excited to have discovered “the one which’s gonna maintain me endlessly.”
Robert Clark, 57, a semi-retired bike technician who beforehand served within the Navy, known as for wildlife authorities in Florida to do extra to regulate alligator populations and alert folks to the hazard.
“There are big 12-foot and 13-foot alligators there, and so they’re letting them uncontrolled,” he stated.
“The alligator, I perceive, might need been on the verge of extinction at one time, but it surely’s thriving proper now, and the state isn’t caring for it. That’s the one grievance.
“I do know it’s an alligator state and we’ve all the time needed to cope with alligators, however when is the state going to place some cash into coping with the wildlife?
“From what I perceive on the information, there was a baby that received bit within the space a day or two earlier than my daughter received attacked.”
The lethal assault got here simply at some point after an 8-foot-7 alligator bit a boy on the hand at Nelson’s Fish Camp in Umatilla, Marion County, about 60 miles northwest of the place Brittany was attacked.
The FWC beforehand stated that the alligator was later eliminated and killed.
A 19-year-old snorkeler additionally survived an assault by an 8-foot-3-inch alligator on June 21 in Rainbow River close to Dunnellon, Florida. The sufferer was handled on the hospital and launched, and a trapper eliminated the alligator from the realm.
“Nothing was carried out, no boundaries put up, no warnings saying, ‘That is infested with alligators proper now, assume twice about stepping within the water’,” Robert Clark stated.
“My daughter went on the market along with her boyfriend, her roommate, and their canine to hike and benefit from the space.
“They didn’t go there to maliciously abuse alligators and fish and wildlife.”
Robert stated that his daughter “did find out about wildlife” and the potential for an alligator to be within the water there.
Officers have stated that following the assault, they captured and killed two gators – a 13-foot beast close to the place Clark was badly bitten and one other a half mile away.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee (FWC) spokesman advised The Publish: “Severe accidents attributable to alligators are uncommon in Florida.
“The FWC locations the best precedence on public security and administers a Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) to deal with complaints regarding particular alligators believed to pose a menace to folks, pets or property.”
The spokesman added that when the FWC receives calls to its Nuisance Alligator Hotline, it dispatches contracted nuisance alligator trappers to resolve the scenario.
Between 1948 and 2025, the FWC recorded a complete of 500 unprovoked bites in Florida, of which 32 resulted in fatalities, Click on Orlando reported.
“The FWC extends its deepest sympathies to the sufferer’s household and family members. Our ideas are with you throughout this troublesome time,” the spokesman stated.
Robert Clark recalled how he obtained a name from his daughter’s roommate on Sunday, explaining what had occurred whereas they desperately tried to maintain Brittany alive earlier than the authorities confirmed up.
In a frantic 911 name obtained by The Publish, a girl may very well be heard describing Clark’s accidents as “horrible,” including that “certainly one of her arms is totally off and the opposite one is like connected barely.”
Paying tribute to his daughter — the center baby of three siblings who grew up as a “navy brat” between Florida and California — Robert Clark stated: “Brittany was fantastic, she was very outgoing and had an awesome outlook on life. She was all the time striving to do higher.
“She beloved bikes, she beloved nature, she beloved mountain climbing and using. She loved all types of music.
“She received together with folks and had plenty of mates; everyone knew her.
“She was working in development, driving heavy tools, constructing roads for brand spanking new housing.
“She had no stops – when she needed to go do one thing, she went and did it.”
A GoFundMe enchantment arrange by Brittany’s aunt, Gena Smith, to assist with the prices of the funeral has up to now raised nearly $7,000.
